Portland, Maine · Cumberland County

Caregiver Jobs in Portland, ME

Portland is Maine's largest city and the home of MaineHealth Maine Medical Center, with a city minimum wage above the state rate. Families post private and in-home caregiving jobs to the list above, and each one is tagged with its town and straight-line mileage from you.

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Finding in-home caregiver jobs in Portland

Portland's Census estimate for mid-2025 is 69,911 people, against a 2020 estimates base of 68,406. It skews younger than Old Orchard Beach: its 2020–2024 ACS median age is 37.8, and the survey counts 11,616 people aged 65 or over, 16.9% of the city (±0.9 points), including 3,370 between 75 and 84 and 1,706 aged 85 and up. A quarter of Portland's 32,965 households (25.6%) have a member over 65, 2,919 are older women living alone and 1,354 are older men living alone, and 29.9% of residents 65 and over living outside institutions report a disability.

Enter 04101, 04102 or 04103, whichever is yours, then choose a travel radius suited to how you move around. Plenty of Portland households live without a car: 15.4% have none, while 11.0% of workers walk to work and 2.6% ride transit, according to the ACS. If you rely on METRO buses, say so on your profile, along with the bus routes you can use. The Old Orchard Beach caregiver jobs page covers a York County town around 11 straight-line miles from Portland's ZIP centers. The profile is free, you agree on schedule and pay with the family in the app, and nothing comes out of your earnings for the platform. More Maine listings are on the Maine caregiver jobs page.

Live postings

Families looking for private caregivers near Portland, ME

Real postings from families on CaregiverConnect, matched to Portland by distance.

Open

Personal care caregiver needed in Old Orchard Beach, ME

Old Orchard Beach, ME · about 11 straight-line mi from PortlandMon, Tue, Wed
$25.00/hr offeredPosted Nov 1, 2026
View job & apply

This opening is in Old Orchard Beach, not in Portland itself. It is listed here because caregivers in Portland can reach it; distances are straight-line miles between ZIP-code centers, not driving miles.

Showing 1 of 1 open posting within 50 straight-line miles of Portland, nearest first. Family names and care-recipient details are shown after you sign in. Postings are removed from this page as soon as a family hires or closes them.

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Types of caregiver jobs

Types of caregiver jobs in Portland

Portland's households speak many languages: the ACS finds that 12.7% of Portlanders five or older report a home language other than English, 11.8% of the city was born abroad, and METRO publishes its paratransit application in Arabic, French, Portuguese, Somali and Spanish. If you speak one of those languages, add it to your profile, because an older client who is more comfortable in it may need you. Families may ask for personal care, cooking, walks, company on the way to appointments at the Bramhall Street hospital, or evening and weekend relief for adult children who work. Families hiring privately set their own training expectations, so describe the care you have given before and for how long.

Senior caregiving · Personal care · Companion care · Dementia care · Respite care · Live-in · Overnight · Part-time and full-time

Pay

Caregiver pay in Portland: how much caregivers make

Public figures first, then what they mean for private work. Statistics describe employed aides across the Portland-South Portland, ME metropolitan area (Cumberland, Sagadahoc and York counties); private rates on CaregiverConnect are agreed between each caregiver and family and are not tracked by any agency.

MeasureHourlySource and coverage
Home health and personal care aides, Portland-South Portland, ME metropolitan area (Cumberland, Sagadahoc and York counties)$18.55 median ($19.41 mean)BLS OEWS, May 2025; 8,150 jobs; concentration 1.02× national
City of Portland minimum wage (City Code chapter 33), from January 1, 2026; $17.75 from January 1, 2027$16.75 an hourCity of Portland Code of Ordinances, ch. 33, rev. 1-1-2026
Portland city ordinance (Maine state rate $15.10) minimum wage$16.75effective January 1, 2026
Nursing assistants, Portland-South Portland, ME metropolitan area (Cumberland, Sagadahoc and York counties)$23.17 medianBLS OEWS, May 2025 (certified roles, for comparison)

Who is the employer. A family that hires you directly is your employer. The Portland city ordinance (Maine state rate $15.10) minimum wage is $16.75 an hour (effective January 1, 2026); the federal minimum of $7.25 and federal overtime rules apply to directly employed caregivers unless the work is exempt companionship under the FLSA. Source: US Department of Labor, direct care workers; the state source is listed at the end of this page.

Under the city ordinance, employers must pay at least $16.75 for each hour worked within Portland's limits from January 1, 2026, rising to $17.75 in 2027 and $19.00 in 2028, then adjusting each January with the Northeast consumer price index; the Maine rate is $15.10. The Maine Department of Labor's guide to local ordinances says an employer's place of business includes the family home when a household employs a caregiver, nanny or housekeeper, so a Portland family that hires you directly is a Portland employer. BLS places the city in its Portland-South Portland metro area. In May 2025 that area counted 8,150 personal care and home health aide jobs, paying $18.55 at the median, $19.41 on average and $22.57 at the 90th percentile; for CNAs the metro median was $23.17. Ask for at least the city rate before you agree to a private hourly wage.

Rules

Caregiver requirements in Maine, applied to Portland

The city ordinance follows Maine's overtime rule (weekly hours over 40 earn 1.5 times the regular rate) and lets workers who are underpaid file a written complaint with the City Manager's office or sue. Agency jobs carry Maine's direct care rules: the CNA and Direct Care Worker Registry run by DHHS's Division of Licensing and Certification lists certified nursing assistants and flags direct care workers with convictions in the past ten years or substantiated abuse, neglect or misappropriation, and employers check applicants through the Maine Background Check Center. A Maine CNA course is 130 hours, combining 70 hours of classroom theory, 20 hours of lab work and 40 hours of supervised clinical practice. The Personal Support Specialist course is the entry-level option DHHS accepts for certain home care programs.

Local resources

Training and career resources near Portland

Portland employers, training and services for caregivers, each checked on the organization's own website on November 2, 2026.

  • MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland22 Bramhall Street. MaineHealth calls it an academic medical center, home also to MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children's at Maine Medical Center, with 929 licensed beds in total at the Portland, Biddeford and Sanford sites. METRO lists Maine Medical Center among its route destinations, and MaineHealth employees ride METRO free with an employee ID.
  • MaineHealth CNA training (paid)Maine Medical Center Portland is one of five MaineHealth hospitals offering a paid CNA course: an hourly wage while you train, no tuition or textbook cost, about six weeks long. A diploma or equivalent is preferred, and applicants need US work authorization.
  • AgeMaine Portland Center2320 Congress St. AgeMaine, the new name of the Southern Maine Agency on Aging, runs an adult day program here for older adults, including people living with Alzheimer's disease, dementia or other memory loss. Main line 207-396-6500, Monday to Friday 8 to 4.
  • MaineHealth Home Health and HospiceCovers Cumberland, York and five other counties, seven days a week with on-call service around the clock; home health aides work on its visiting teams. Phone 207-284-4566.
  • Greater Portland METRO and RTP paratransitMETRO runs fixed routes in Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Falmouth, Gorham, Yarmouth, Freeport and Brunswick; every bus has a lift or ramp. Seniors 65+, people with disabilities and holders of a red, white and blue Medicare card qualify for reduced fares. Clients who cannot use the buses can apply for ADA paratransit from the Regional Transportation Program (207-774-2666), and MaineCare members book rides through Modivcare (855-608-5178).
The area

Portland in numbers

Portland's housing is old and largely rented: the ACS finds 45.8% of homes were built before 1940, 36.0% are detached houses and 46.9% are owner-occupied, with a median home value of $489,600 and a median gross rent of $1,577. Expect apartments and stairs; ask about elevators, laundry and parking when you talk with a family. The median household income is $79,540, and the ACS poverty rate among Portlanders 65 and over is 9.1%. Schools, hospitals and social services, grouped as one ACS industry, employ 27.6% of working residents, and 24.8% work from home.

DHHS says publicly paid in-home services come either from MaineCare, Maine's Medicaid program, or from state-funded programs; its Office of Aging and Disability Services lists the Section 19 home and community waiver, Consumer Directed Attendant Services under Section 12, and Section 96 personal care. A person is first assessed by Maximus (1-833-525-5784); care then comes from an agency or, where the program allows it, is directed by the person, which is the route AgeMaine's 2023 guide describes for relatives who hope to be paid. By state statute (22 M.R.S. §7402), the labor portion of MaineCare and state-funded rates for essential support workers must reflect at least 125% of the Maine minimum wage. Maine's Adult Protective Services line, 1-800-624-8404 (Maine Relay 711), is staffed around the clock for reports about dependent or incapacitated adults.

A woman and an older man talking across a wooden table at home
A woman and an older man talking across a wooden table at home. Stock photograph; not a CaregiverConnect user.
How it works

How to find private caregiver jobs in Portland (no agency)

CaregiverConnect is a marketplace, not an agency. Families post what they need, caregivers apply, and the two of you work out the arrangement directly.

Illustration of a caregiver and an older adult chatting on a sofa in a bright living room
  1. Tell us about your experience
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Applying to open postings and starting a new conversation are part of Caregiver Premium ($7.99/month, cancel anytime). Replying to a family who contacts you is always free. CaregiverConnect takes no cut of what you earn.

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Caregiver jobs near Portland

Families often post from neighbouring towns. Set your travel radius in your profile and you will appear in their searches too.

Questions

Caregiver jobs in Portland: frequently asked questions

What is Portland, Maine's minimum wage for caregivers in 2026?

$16.75 an hour for work inside the city limits since January 1, 2026, under City Code chapter 33, compared with the statewide $15.10. The ordinance schedules $17.75 for 2027 and $19.00 for 2028. The Maine Department of Labor treats a family home as the employer's place of business when the household employs a caregiver.

What do home health aides earn in the Portland area?

In May 2025 BLS found a median of $18.55 an hour for the Portland-South Portland metro area, with the middle half of aides between $17.36 and $21.38. Agencies set their own pay scales; private families agree a rate with you, which in Portland cannot fall below the city minimum.

How do I become a CNA in Portland without paying for school?

MaineHealth offers a paid CNA course at Maine Medical Center Portland and several other hospitals: trainees earn an hourly wage and pay no tuition or book fees. After training and the state competency test you are listed on the Maine CNA Registry, and you renew every two years.

Can I get around Portland for caregiving shifts without a car?

Many residents do. METRO buses serve Portland and seven neighboring communities and all have lifts or ramps. For clients who cannot ride fixed routes, the Regional Transportation Program runs ADA paratransit (207-774-2666), and MaineCare members can arrange rides through Modivcare.

Where can a Portland family get help for a parent with dementia?

AgeMaine's Portland Center at 2320 Congress Street runs an adult day program for people with memory loss and offers caregiver coaching and support groups. Its main number is 207-396-6500, and Maine's Aging and Disability Resource Centers answer at 1-877-353-3771.

What should I do if I suspect a client is being exploited?

Phone APS on 1-800-624-8404 at any hour, or submit the DHHS online reporting form. Financial scams and medication theft count as exploitation under DHHS's definitions. Call 911 when someone is in danger.

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